District 10

 

 

As I walked into Winstedt Road, on a very hot day, I could see are lots and lots of cars going up the road. The nearby Anglo Chinese Junior School was just dismissed and parents of students were picking them up. District 10 Bistro Wine Bar, located in this busy road is housed in a part of the former Monk’s Hill Secondary School. Owned by business partners of The Bontá Group, Serena Lim and Chef Luca Pezzera, this casual dining establishment is spread over 6,000 sq ft, consisting both indoor and outdoor dining options. As I entered the place, I noticed a beautiful octagon water feature and a huge frangipani tree. The al fresco area had timber flooring that blended well with the well manicured surrounding garden. The staff led us into the bright spacious dining room with wooden tables and chairs, and a huge open wine cellar with neatly arranged wine bottles.

 

Though most of the recipes were created by Chef Luca Pezzera, it is London native Chef Dean Fisher who heads the kitchen at District 10 Bistro Wine Bar and who ensures standards and consistency are upheld. His 18-year industry resume boasts kitchen experiences with the likes of Mark Hix, the Executive Chef at The Ivy in London, and stints at the iconic Savoy Hotel and Strand Palace Hotel. Chef Dean said he has been blending his expertise in Mediterranean cooking with his newfound love for Asian ingredients recently.

 

 

District 10 Bistro Wine Bar has an all day dining menu that features a wide selection of cakes, desserts and homemade ice creams that will appeal to everyone. We started off with the restaurant’s signature Mohito and a cocktail Death by Chocolate – which was a killer concoction of Bailey’s cream, ice cream and more…. The Duck Mango Salad had a medley of crispy duck pieces, cubed dragon fruit, lychees, mango cubes, halved grapes, chopped coriander leaves and it was pure enjoyment. There was something stylish and refreshing about this salad and I feel that the trend towards leaner eating has given rise to dishes which are both refreshing and light in texture. I can eat this salad anytime and every time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The menu offers a variety of traditional pizzas as well as new-age ones. The Wagyu Beef Cheek Rendang Pizza was hit as soon as the smell hit my nose. I should say hats off to Chef Dean for producing such a rendang to sit atop the nice crusty pizza base. Rendang is a braised meat dish of Indonesian origin. Chef Dean had the Wagyu beef cooked slowly in coconut milk and spices for a few hours so that the meat had absorbed the flavor of the spices and herbs like galangal and lemon grass. Instead of serving rendang traditionally with rice or ketupat (compressed rice), Chef Dean made it into a chunky pizza topping – this is happy food for someone like me who does not like to eat rice. We also tried the Soft Shell Chilli Crab Pizza. Though I like soft shell crabs, somehow I felt I would have liked it better if instead of the sweet and hot Thai chilli sauce, it was replaced with a wasabi cheese sauce for the base of the pizza. Perhaps we were so enthusiastic about the Rendang Pizza that we overlooked the Soft Shell Crab Pizza. The fried soft shell crabs had absorbed all the chilli sauce and therefore lose its crispness. It is certainly a good value for money pizza for soft shell crab fans as the portions were generous.

 

 

The next dish was Rigatoni with Wagyu Beef Balls, Fresh Tomatoes and Parmesan shaving. Well the name of the dish describes all but I will tell you this – these meatballs were the best saucy ones I have ever tasted so far and I do hope consistency is maintained. The beef balls with the combination of other ingredients tasted very great, firm but not hard and very moist inside. The tubes of rigatoni pasta were swathed in the tomato sauce made of good quality tomatoes. The Oven Roasted Baby Back ribs were not the best I have ever had, but still good enough for me to sink my teeth. The ribs were moist and tender and had a good flavor.

 

 

 

 

 

Trust me, anyone who like white chocolate will love this White Chocolate and Passion Fruit Cheese Cake. Passion fruit has a tart and exotic flavor that livens up this impressive and delicious cheesecake. District 10 is the perfect place for chill out after work and on weekends for its brunch. Check out by calling.